It's no secret that USC football and head coach Lincoln Riley haven't lived up to recent expectations, especially after a disappointing 2023 season that saw the Trojans finish with an 8-5 record despite starting the year ranked No. 6 in the country. However, things may be looking up in Southern California, especially after Riley's recent comments.
NIL is the name of the game all across college athletics, and Riley's response when asked about USC's NIL situation by Luca Evans of the Orange County Register will have fans feeling excited heading into the 2024 season, via Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times.
“I'm not happy with it, I'm thrilled with it,” Riley said. “The percentage gains and the momentum it has created, the job that House of Victory has done, the job that our people that work there, the people here, the Trojan family that support it, it's incredible gains.
“You hope for it, you expect it, I don't ever want to not expect big things here, it's USC, but we're talking about substantial, substantial gains, momentum, and not just in the dollar figure but how we operate,” Riley continued. “The confidence of our team and our program in it, our recruits, it couldn't be higher.”
This is great news for a USC program that is hungry for success and hoping to make an instant impact in their first season as a member of the new-look Big 10 conference.
By the way Riley is talking, it would be fair to say that USC has as many NIL resources and has as successful of a collective as there is across college football.
Can NIL help Lincoln Riley and USC football?
If USC's NIL is as big of a factor as Riley is making it seem, then their program is in an incredible position. They'll be able to dominate both high school recruiting and the transfer portal by being able to out-spend other programs for the best players. USC's roster will just keep getting better and better. The Trojans will be even more appealing to top recruits like Class of 2025 quarterback Julian Lewis if they're able to dip into their deep NIL resources and offer them more than any other school.
USC is one of the most storied and successful programs in college football. Even though they haven't been as dominant lately, they appear to be dominating the new NIL landscape. This could be just the situation USC needs in order to get back on top and begin competing for National Championships again.
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